What a fun convention!! This was my very first year attending Visioncon, hosted down in Branson, MO, and before leaving I absolutely had to pre-register for a table for next year. The people were very nice and pleasant, the event itself had lots to do and see, and there was so much to do in Branson, even being the off season! For anyone who doesn’t know, Branson is where Silver Dollar City is, so it’s closed for the winter and the town is kind of on vacation for the same period of time. Still tons to do and see, which I didn’t do or see because conventions still exhaust me. Oh well, gives me an excuse to go back!

For the first time ever, I opened commissions at my booth during the event, which was fun and absolutely something I’ll be doing again. It never ceases to amaze me just how creative people are. I had a bunch of unique requests, so take a look through the images below and see for yourself!

I’m sorry, guys, I really don’t mean to forget about posting things on my blog! So many medias to put publish work on these days, what with Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and my Website itself (simplykitts.com), I get a little distracted. Thank God I don’t have a twitter yet! Ugh…

Anyway, I’ve started a new project called “INKlings” in a cute little sketchbook (7 x 7 inches) to help promote a little bit of creativity in my every day life– which is quite hectic and, sadly, miserable at the moment. But this fun little project is geared to keep the juices flowing and have at least a little tiny piece of art daily. I’ve already missed a few days, but I’m working hard to keep it going, so I hope you’ll enjoy it along with me. I’m working to get in the practice of updating a daily image on my art Facebook and Tumblr, while here I’m going to do my very best to update once a week with all the strange, nonsensical things that were “arted” throughout the week! I’ll be doing one a day, at least (sometimes more?) and the goal is to use ink and brush only and keep the miniature illustrations to a sitting. No long, extravagant something, just quick, whimsical and fun curiosities.

A set of six thank you cards I’m hoping to finish before the year’s through. It isn’t really a part of my Thesis, but I’m enjoying it all the same! There are corresponding letters to help in the confusion– let me know what you think!

One would think that a school that specializes in the arts would put forth some sort of effort to make worthwhile Commencement Announcements. I thought so myself, until they handed me a set of flimsy “fill in the blank” cards to send to my friends and relatives. So… I’ve taken it on as a challenge to create my own Announcements. Settling on a design, however, is proving difficult…

Another quick run of some of my favorite new sketches produced for my “Cultural Safari” Coarse. I must say, it is very possibly the best class I’ve taken in several semesters. Getting re-introduced to sketching for the sake of sketching has been wonderful. It’s also helped me in deciding a theme for my books. While the sketchbooks are intended to be taken from observation, doing so (for myself) gets boring mighty quick.

So… I’ve found a solution. Throughout the book there will be a mixture of observation and fantastical, the elements of which will usually be a contrast of black or blue ink and something brighter and unexpected. So far, it’s been a wonderful decision.